Community Church and Shining Stars prepare the annual garage and bake sale

Funds will benefit educational programs

Shoppers rummage through a plethora of items in last year's community garage and bake sale. The items were all donated by Park City residents. The funds raised from this year's sale will benefit the Shining Stars School and the Park City Community Church. (Photo courtesy Whitney Kozlowski)

Since 1997, the Shining Stars School, a nonprofit, cooperative preschool and kindergarten located at Park City Community Church, has given students hands-on learning experiences that foster age-appropriate development.

To do so requires the support of the students' parents and the support of the community.

Nearly a decade ago, the school and Park City Community Church established an annual garage and bake sale, and thanks to the town's residents who continue to donate the items, the event is still going strong, said Whitney Kozlowski, director of fundraiser for Shining Stars School.

This year's the sale will take place at the church, 4501 S.R 224, on Saturday, May 4, from 7 a.m. until noon.

"It's been a fun and unique opportunity to do this together with the church," Kozlowski said during an interview with The Park Record. "We both commit volunteers to see this event through."

One of the most enjoyable aspects for Kozlowski is to see much the community gets involved.

"The neat thing is that the sale is open to the everyone," she said. "It comes at the right time, because the community can really jump into their spring cleaning.

"So, if someone does come across an item that they don't know if they will use any more, we happily take it from them, Kozlowski said. "It's so neat to see all this goodwill."

Donations for the sale will be accepted from Wednesday, May 1, until Friday, May 3.

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"We will be open and available for anyone who wants to drop something off on Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Friday, we'll be open from 1 p.m. until 8 p.m.," she said. "Friday's usually run a little later, and we are always happy to coordinate pick-ups around town for bigger items. We want to make things as easy as we can for everyone."

To arrange a pick up, contact Kozlowski at (435) 729-9245.

"We will accept anything from housewares and kitchenware that include mixing bowls, measuring cups and plates," she said. "We also accept baby wear, clothing, furniture and other items that have become old and worn."

The staff will also take bicycles and skis and other sporting equipment, Kozlowski said.

"However, we will not accept electronic devices such as TVs, Blu-ray and DVD players and things like that," she said. "We would like people to take those items to the recycling center."

The sale will officially open at 7 a.m. and not a moment earlier, Kozlowski said.

"Even though we do have all these items ready to sell, we won't sell anything in advance," she said. "That will give people a chance to find things they want to find, and we get a ton of stuff.

"I think the sale is so much fun and successful, because so many people contribute to it," Kozlowski said. "There are so many wonderful things to find."

In addition to the used items, the event will sell baked goods.

"We have volunteers who bake cookies, cakes and all sorts of things for us, and a section of the sale is dedicated to those baked items where people can buy for later or just snack on when they are shopping."

At the end of the day, the money earned during the sale is divided between the church and school for different educational programs.

"Since the Shining Stars School is a cooperative school, the students' parents really get involved in the daily interactions between their children and teachers," Kozlowski explained. "In doing so, the parents can see what their kids are learning and how they are growing.

"So, we use the funds to improve some of the equipment we need to create a better experience for the kids who are enrolled and for the kids to come," she said. "We appreciate the community to keep this going year after year. This sale can't happen without the support of the people who live here."

The annual Park City Community Garage and Bake Sale will be held at the Park City Community Church, 4501 S.R. 224 on Saturday, May 4, from 7 a.m. until noon. All proceeds will benefit the Park City Community Church and the Shining Stars School. For more information, call Whitney at (435) 729-9245.

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